Kirby Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Kirby 401k Plan
Houston, TXTransportation & Warehousing5,124 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$6,146Employer $ per active participant
$5,879Employee $ saved per active participant
0.07%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$850.1MNet plan assets, end of year
$132,790Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity42.6 / 5085th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost17.4 / 2570th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving10.3 / 1569th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features7 / 10Auto-enrollment
Total score77 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (123 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 85th |
| Lower admin cost | 70th |
| Employee saving | 69th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 46% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Kirby put in about $6,146 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,834). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $31,491,168 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $30,123,133 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,816,119 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $541,791 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $52,500 |
| Other admin expenses | $1,800 |
| Benefits paid out | $97,425,381 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $777.1M / $850.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 5,102 / 5,146 |
| Participants with account balances | 6,402 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Weaver and Tidwell, LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $53,035,000 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Merrill Lynch | $448,799 reported compensation |
| Amg Ops- Fee Group | $52,500 reported compensation |
| Weaver and Tidwell, LLP | $32,550 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013140313NAL0000689059003, received 2025-10-13, EIN 74-1884980, plan #004, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.